Yoga & Nature Escape on the Swedish West Coast: Kärlingesund Retreat Center

The retreat centre is made up of about 19 single rooms as standard, including the Saletta rooms on the first floor that have their own bathrooms and are usually kept for teachers and assistants. Five of the single rooms can be converted to doubles. Larger groups of up to 40 can be accommodated on request. Shared bathrooms have six toilets and six showers. Beyond the yoga room, there's a bright dining room, a lounge with sofas, musical instruments and a small library, and a large wooden terrace with garden seating. A summer "offline café" serves local products with Italian espresso and a record player.

The landscape around the centre does most of the work. Kärlingesund is in Bohuslän, on Sweden's west coast, inside a nature reserve with oak and beech forest, smooth granite slabs and a wide fjord. You can swim in the fjord year-round, and the neighbouring island of Skaftö has two old fishing villages, Fiskebäckskil and Grundsund, worth an afternoon trip. Horseback riding can be arranged with horses from a ranch next door.

The centre is open from March to October, with winter courses on request. It's a popular spot, so dates are typically booked about a year ahead; there are still some 2026 slots open, including in summer. Getting here without a car is straightforward - public transport and international train links connect from Gothenburg, Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, and flights land nearby.

The kitchen is run by Apricus Kitchen from Germany under Vivienne Wiedemer, and the brief is fresh, seasonal and local. If you'd rather bring your own cooking team, the Kärlingesund staff and their local suppliers will support them.

What sets this apart from a standard yoga retreat is the house itself. It was rebuilt by a Swedish artist couple, and the result is a property with a lot of personality - rooms shaped by unusual light, colour and detail rather than hotel-standard furnishings. The 104 m² Sala is genuinely equipped for serious Iyengar practice, with a full set of props, and the 12-person wood-fired sauna in the garden looks out over the nature reserve.

What's included

- Accommodation at Kärlingesund Retreat Center (single or double rooms; Saletta rooms with private bathroom for teachers) - Use of the 104 m² Sala yoga room with full props (mats, cushions, blankets, meditation chairs, straps, blocks, yoga chairs) - Access to the dining room, lounge, library and wooden terrace - Wood-fired sauna (fits 12) with view of the nature reserve - Outdoor shower and bathtub - Access to swimming in the fjord - Meals prepared by Apricus Kitchen (fresh, seasonal, local) – confirmed on booking - Local support from the Kärlingesund team and their suppliers

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Train and local transport to and from Kärlingesund - Travel insurance - Guided kayak tours (approx. 3 hours, bookable on request) - Kayak rental (available on site) - Horseback riding with horses from the neighbouring ranch - Personal expenses - Optional excursions to Fiskebäckskil and Grundsund